This article is all about overcoming the fear of stepping outside of your comfort zone. We all know how important it is to occasionally challenge ourselves in our growth zone + how scary it can be to do something outside our comfort zone. For me, the best advice out there is pretty simple: do it scared. But even with that in mind, the threshold between wanting to do something and actually taking action is still pretty high because of fear. This is why I will be sharing 4 powerful mantras I always repeat to myself for finding courage and managing fear, which always ended up pushing me out of my comfort zone. Therefore, I am confident that they will give you courage to “do it scared” and to thrive outside your comfort zone.
1. “Nobody cares” (The Spotlight Effect)
The greatest obstacle that stands between our growth and comfort zone is the familiar fear of other people’s judgment. However, the spotlight effect highlights the fact that we tend to overestimate how often other people are paying attention to us.
I think we all had that experience when we thought we said or did something embarrassing, but then when we asked others about it, they hardly even noticed or remembered. Even if they did, they will probably forget about it a few minutes later. Remember that people won’t remeber what we did, they will only remember how we made them feel. This comes to show that it is okay to occationally make mistakes or embarrass ourselves because nobody is going to remember if we ever messed up.
Click here for Journaling prompts
- When was the last time of my fear getting in the way of me doing what I wanted?
- If I know for sure that nobody is going to remember what I did if I messed things up, what would I do if I were to be given the same opportunity?
- How would I feel about the entire experience of stepping outside of my comfort zone if I knew nobody would remember my embarrassing moments?
2. “Whatever happens is the best result” (Let go of expectations)
Another thing that prevents us from stepping outside of our comfort zone is fear of failure. The reason why we are afraid of this because we have expectations of how things “should” be, instead of accepting things as they are. These expectations often show up as endless worries of how things could go wrong as a mechanism to prevent disappointment.
The best way to combat this is to accept whatever happens as the best result. Even if things 100% did not went your way, there will always be valuable lessons completely tailored to you that you wouldn’t have learnt otherwise. When I reflected on my past mistakes and failures, there was not a single time I didn’t walk away with valuable lessons that took my confidence to the next level.
Click here for Journaling prompts
- When was a time that I tried something and things ended up not going my way?
- How did I feel at that time?
- How do I feel about it now?
- What valuable lessons did I take from the experience?
3. “It’s not going to matter in 50 years” (Look at the bigger picture)
One of the reasons fear is so paralyzing is that we tend to catastrophise. In our heads, some minor setbacks become hugely important. Every potential failure has the potential to destroy our entire lives forever.
Ali Abdaal (Feel Good Productivity)
We often put ourselves in small time frames when worrying about things going wrong. However, if we zoom out the time frame to see the bigger picture, it becomes clear that our current worries won’t matter far down the future. This mindset works wonders for me in lessening my fear before doing something out of my comfort zone.
Click here for Journaling prompts
- What is my greatest fear outside my comfort zone? What do I most fear will happen out there?
- If it happens, will it still matter 50 years later?
4. “I am going to be so proud of myself for doing this” (Regret of not trying)
It’s the things we don’t do that tend to haunt us long-term. We tend to remember the things in life we had the chance to do but didn’t – an opportunity lost, a promise unfulfilled.
Evy Poumpouras (Becoming Bulletproof)
There is no better feeling than a sense of accomplishment of overcoming our fears. Challenging ourselves outside our comfort zone opens up so many amazing opportunities and possibilities. This is why most life-long regrets are about things people didn’t do, rather than things they did but failed. Therefore, I find it extremely helpful to think about how proud you are going to feel after this + the amazing experiences you are going to get by leaving your comfort zone.
Click here for Journaling prompts
- What person am I becoming by choosing to step outside of my comfort zone? What new characteristics am I going to embody?
- What opportunities am I going to attract from this experience?
Hope this helps! Thank you so much for reading!
